Class 8 Poorvi English
Let us discuss
Let us discuss
I Rectify the following false statements from the text.
- The queen insulted the king by speaking against the quality of his poem.
Answer:- The queen did not insult the king’s poem; she merely yawned because she was exhausted after a tiring day
- Tenali Rama immediately went to the king and convinced him to talk to the queen.
Answer:- Tenali Rama did not immediately go to the king; he stated he needed time to find the right strategy and waited for the court assembly the next morning
3. The courtiers admired the king’s poem and praised his literary talent.
Answer:- The courtiers did not admire the poem; they avoided the king and made excuses when he tried to recite it to them.
4. The ministers in the court were eager to hear Tenali Rama’s idea about paddy cultivation
Answer:- The ministers were not eager to hear his idea; instead, they mocked him with sarcasm and snickers.
5. The king never realised his mistake and continued to stay angry with the queen.
Answer:- The king did realise his mistake when Tenali Rama cleverly proved to him that yawning is a natural act.
Let us think and reflect
I Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.
- “… The king thought I was disrespecting his poem and stormed off. Since then, he has not spoken to me. If I had known this
would happen I would have chosen another day. Help me, please, Rama. Only you can help the king understand.”
Rama nodded thoughtfully. “If you like, I will try my best to resolve this matter, Your Highness. But this needs a
well-planned approach and I may need time to find the right strategy.”
(i) Why does the queen believe that only Tenali Rama can help the king understand?
Answer: The queen believes that only Tenali Rama can help the king understand because he was the only one among the courtiers who was famous as his witty adviser. He was a brilliant and intelligent person who listened to problems patiently and solved them in a calm manner.
(ii) What does the queen’s statement, “If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen another day”, suggest about her
feelings?
A. She is angry at the king for overreacting.
B. She regrets the unintended misunderstanding.
C. She believes the poem was not worth listening to.
D. She is worried that the king might punish her.
Answer: She regrets the unintended misunderstanding.
(iii) How does Tenali Rama’s response reflect his wisdom and problem-solving skills?
Answer: Tenali Rama’s response reflects his wisdom and problem-solving skills through his use of tact and wit. Instead of directly confronting the king’s anger, he mediated the conflict between the king and the queen, allowing the king to understand that his pride had blinded him.
(iv) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option from those given in the brackets.
The king’s reaction shows that he is sensitive and _…………………………………….
(has a lot of faith/takes great pride) in his poetry.
Answer:- takes great pride
- That evening, the king approached the queen with a softened expression. “Thirumalambal”, he began, his voice gentle, “I have been foolish. I see now that I overreacted. I let my pride blind me. I’m so sorry.”
The queen, who had longed for this moment, smiled and replied, “If you like, we can leave this quarrel behind us. I would very much like to listen to your poem.”
(i) Complete the following with a suitable explanation.
When the king said, “I let my pride blind me”, he means that __.
Answer :- When the king said, “I let my pride blind me”, he means that his ego over his poetry prevented him from seeing that the queen’s yawn was just a natural sign of tiredness, not an insult.
(ii) Why does the queen say, “If you like, we can leave this quarrel behind us”?
Answer:- She says this because she accepts his apology, wishes to reconcile, and wants to restore their relationship.
(iii) Fill in the blank by choosing the correct option from those given in the brackets.
The king acknowledges that his pride clouded his judgement, which shows …………………………._. (intelligence and courage/maturity and self-awareness)
Answer:- The king acknowledges that his pride clouded his judgement, which shows maturity and self-awareness.
(iv) State any one characteristic that the queen’s response to the king’s apology shows about her.
Answer: The queen’s response to the king’s apology shows that she is forgiving, gracious, and understanding.
II Answer the following questions.
- Why was the Vijayanagara Empire considered to be in its ‘Golden Era’ during Krishnadeva Raya’s reign?
Answer: The reign of Krishnadeva Raya is known as the Golden Era because the empire reached its peak of power and prosperity due to the development of art, literature, and architecture. The capital city of Vijayanagara became a center of cultural and architectural brilliance.
2. How did Tenali Ramakrishna gain a special place in the king’s court?
Answer: Tenali Rama gained a special place through his exceptional wit, sharp intelligence, and sense of humor. Unlike other courtiers, he had a unique ability to use humor to point out the king’s mistakes or complex problems that others could not. His honesty and cleverness made him one of the king’s most trusted advisers.
3. How did the quarrel between the king and the queen affect the palace?
Answer: When the king and the queen quarreled, it often distracted the king from his administrative duties.
- What strategy did Tenali Rama use to make the king realise his mistake?
Answer: Tenali Rama typically used a strategy of indirect reflection. Instead of criticizing the king directly, he would create an absurd and humorous situation that mirrored the king’s own behavior. By seeing the folly in Tenali’s staged situation, the king would have a moment of self-realization and acknowledge his own mistake.
5. What was the reaction of the courtiers when Tenali Rama introduced his ‘special’ paddy seeds?
Answer: When Tenali Rama introduced his special seeds, he claimed they could only grow if sown by a person who had not told a single lie in their life. He also stated it needed to be sown by a special person, as having a habit of yawning while sowing might scatter the seeds unevenly.
6. How does the story conclude, and what lesson can be learnt from it?
Answwer:-
- Conclusion: The story concludes with the king realizing his mistake of being over-reactive, blind in his pride, and unable to understand the feelings of the queen.
- Lesson: Sometimes, a small misunderstanding or disrespecting someone can put you in trouble.
Let us learn
I Fill in the blanks and complete the paragraph by choosing suitable expressions from the box given below.
( cast a shadow, murmur swept through the room, hush fell over , mind raced back, stormed off ,rippled through )
My mother is quite witty, and her sense of humour always lightens stressful moments. Once, at a family dinner, an argument began over a minor issue, and a hush fell over, making everyone feel uncomfortable. Just as things were getting serious, she made a clever remark and laughter rippled through the gathering, making everyone relaxed. The person who started the argument stormed off. Everyone disapproved of the action and a murmur swept through the room. My mind raced back to how my mother had saved other situations like this. Without her, such moments would have cast a shadow over the gatherings. I hope that I grow up to be as witty as my mother.
II The writer uses words like ‘roared’ , ‘murmur’ in the text to indicate the sound produced. Fill in the blanks with suitable sound words from the box given below. You may refer to a dictionary
( murmur , sighed, mumble, gasped, snickers, thud, groan, rattle, roared, whispered )
- As the teacher began the riddle challenge, a murmur of excitement spread through the classroom.
2. Anaya sighed in relief—she loved riddles more than solving Mathematics problems.
3. ‘Think carefully,’ the teacher began to mumble, as she wrote a riddle on the board.
4. When the question was revealed, a few students gasped, realising it wasn’t as easy as they had expected.
5. Some exchanged snickers, wondering if anyone at all would be able to solve it.
6. Just then, Anaya tapped her book on the desk with a small thud, deep in thought.
7. ‘Ah, I see it now!’ she said stretching with a groan, as if it had taken her great effort.
8. A small breeze made the windows rattle, adding to the suspense of the moment.
9. ‘So, what’s the answer?’ the students roared, their voices filled with playful enthusiasm.
10. Leaning forward with a smile, Anaya whispered, ‘Sometimes, the trickiest questions have the simplest answers.’
III As you have learnt, a compound word is formed when two or more words are combined to create a new word with a distinct meaning. These are of three types: closed compounds (sunlight, courtroom), hyphenated compounds (well-planned), and open compounds (paddy seeds).
- Create new compound words by matching words in Column 1 with those in Column 2
(i) quick + G. witted = quick-witted
(ii) soft + C. spoken = soft-spoken
(iii) common + F. sense = common sense
(iv) house + H. hold = household
(v) book + E. store = bookstore
(vi) ill + B. tempered = ill-tempered
(vii) sky + D. blue = sky blue (or sky-blue)
(viii) dance + A. hall = dance hall
2. Fill in the blanks with the words created in the previous question.
Ravi was (i) soft-spoken, always speaking calmly even in arguments. He grew up in a lively (ii) household, where he learned to handle different personalities. His friend Arun, however, was (iii) ill-tempered and often lost his patience. Despite this, Arun admired Ravi’s (iv) quick-witted thinking. One evening, as they passed a (v) dance hall, they saw some performers rushing out. Ravi noticed that one of them dropped a (vi) sky blue book on the ground. “Is this yours?” he asked. “Oh thank you, young man!” the performer smiled. “It’s a recent purchase from the (vii) bookstore round the corner.” True to his nature Arun promptly said to Ravi, “It’s (viii) common sense that it’s not from a bakery but a bookshop!” Ravi smiled and they walked on.
IV Read the sentences from the text and their explanation given in the table below.
In sentence 1 ‘if you like’ is the subordinate clause (if clause) and ‘I will try my best to resolve this matter’ is the main clause.
Identify the subordinate and main clauses in sentences 2 and 3.
Sentence 2: “If, by chance something were to go wrong, our farmers would suffer.”
- Subordinate Clause (If clause): If, by chance something were to go wrong
- Main Clause: our farmers would suffer.
Sentence 3: “If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen another day.”
- Subordinate Clause (If clause): If I had known this would happen
- Main Clause: I would have chosen another day.
Now, match the subordinate clauses (if clauses) in Column 1 with the appropriate main clauses in Column 2 to make complete sentences
(i) If I had a magic wand, + C. I would give myself wings.
(ii) If it rains tomorrow, + E. We will stay indoors and play board games.
(iii) If you had listened carefully, + F. You would have solved the puzzle.
(iv) If you finish your homework, + A. We will go to the theatre.
(v) If I were invisible, + B. I would sneak into the secret room.
(vi) If the alarm had rung, + D. The boys would have woken up on time.
V Complete the following sentences appropriately with either the main clause or the subordinate clause (if clause).
- Your teacher will be unhappy if ___________.
- They would have caught the train if ___________.
- ___________ if you continue to stay up late every night.
- If she knew the answer, ___________.
- ___________ if she had studied harder.
- If I had a million rupees, ___________.
Answer:-
Your teacher will be unhappy if you do not submit your assignment on time. (Type 1 – Present tense in the if-clause)
They would have caught the train if they had left the house ten minutes earlier. (Type 3 – Past Perfect tense in the if-clause)
You will feel exhausted in the morning if you continue to stay up late every night. (Type 1 – Future tense in the main clause)
If she knew the answer, she would raise her hand to tell the class. (Type 2 – ‘would’ + base verb in the main clause)
She would have passed the final examination if she had studied harder. (Type 3 – ‘would have’ + past participle in the main clause)
If I had a million rupees, I would travel all over the world. (Type 2 – ‘would’ + base verb in the main clause)
VI Complete the following sentences. One example has been done for you.
- If I were the Head Teacher of my school, I would introduce more digital tools and interactive visual aids in every classroom.
2. If I were a bird, I would fly high above the mountains and explore the world.
3. If I were a magician, I would make all the world’s problems disappear with a single wave of my wand.
4. If I had studied harder, I would have solved those complex mathematical equations with ease.
Let us listen
I You will listen to a woman narrating a story. As you listen, fill in the blanks
in the following sentences by selecting the correct options.
- The rope tying the bundle of sticks was _.
(i) loose
(ii) thick
(iii) short - The scholar is finally referred to as __.
(i) irritable
(ii) mischievous
(iii) arrogant
II You will once again listen to the story. As you listen, number the events of the story in the correct order of occurrence.
- The great scholar was ashamed because he did not know what to say.
- Rama accepted the challenge thrown by the visitor.
- Rama had a bundle tied in silk when he came to the palace.
- The king laughed at the explanation given by Rama.
- The visitor wanted to show his superiority over others in the palace.
- Rama showed the work to be a bundle of sticks tied together by a rope.
- The king wanted to know more about the work mentioned by Rama.
- The court scholars were afraid of the king’s anger.
Answer:-
(5) The visitor wanted to show his superiority over others in the palace.
(8) The court scholars were afraid of the king’s anger.
(2) Rama accepted the challenge thrown by the visitor.
(3) Rama had a bundle tied in silk when he came to the palace.
(1) The great scholar was ashamed because he did not know what to say.
(7) The king wanted to know more about the work mentioned by Rama.
(6) Rama showed the work to be a bundle of sticks tied together by a rope.
(4) The king laughed at the explanation given by Rama.
Make questions using “Wh-” words based on the following situations:
1) The name of the witty character (Who…?)
- Corrected Answer: Who is the witty character?
2) The reason for her/his wit being important in the story (Why…?)
- Corrected Answer: Why is his/her wit important in the story?
3) The most famous trick or clever idea she/he used (What…?)
- Corrected Answer: What was the most famous trick or clever idea he/she used?
4) The time period or setting of the folktale/story (When…?)
- Corrected Answer: When is the folktale/story set?
5) The way she/he used her/his intelligence to solve a problem (How…?)
- Corrected Answer: How did he/she use his/her intelligence to solve a problem?
Now, write a narrative essay based on any one of the situations given below.
The Day I Learnt the Value of Teamwork
Teamwork means working together with others to achieve a common goal. It is an important skill that helps us in school, at home, and in our future life. When people work as a team, they can share ideas, divide tasks, and support each other. This makes work easier, faster, and more enjoyable.
One of the biggest advantages of teamwork is that it brings different skills together. Every person has unique strengths: some are good at planning, some at speaking, and some at organizing. When all these skills combine… (sentence continues off-page)